of Aberchalder (c. 1758-21 Nov. 1809), soldier, political figure. (name often identified by mentioning his residence Glengarry House) Born in Scotland. Parents: Alexander Macdonell of Aberchalder, who was one of the leaders of the Pearl emigration group of 1773 to New York colony, and his wife Mary Macdonald.
When the American Revolution began, John Macdonell was employed in an accountancy office in Montreal. During the Revolutionary War, he proved an active and resourceful solider on the Crown side. He was first an ensign and later a lieutenant in the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment, and afterwards a captain in Butler’s Rangers. As a U E Loyalist, he received land in Charlottenburgh Township in GC. In that county, with his father and brothers, he was involved from about 1789 in building a fine stone house, called Glengarry House, on the St. Lawrence. Later, he was well known as the proprietor of Glengarry House. According to Lord Selkirk, the name Glengarry House caused resentment on the grounds of implying a closer relationship to the chiefship of the clan than was true in fact. Just a few years after John’s death, Glengarry House was destroyed by fire (1813), during the War of 1812 but accidentally, not by enemy action. Its ruin, at Stone House Point, still survives.
In the early years of GC, he was prominent through his wealth, family connections, powerful friends, military record, and presumably through his personal energy and qualities of character. In the 1st parliament (1792-1796) of the Province of Upper Canada, he and his brother Hugh Macdonell of Aberchalder were GC’s two representatives, under the two-member system of representation of the time, and John was the speaker of the parliament. John was re-elected to represent GC in the second parliament, 1797-1800.
He was a member of the land board of Luneburg (Lunenburgh) District and of the land board for GC and Stormont, which succeeded it. Likewise, he belonged to the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1792, he was appointed lieutenant of GC, in the short-lived scheme for establishing county lieutenancies. He was the lt.-col. commanding the Upper Canada battalion of the Royal Canadian Volunteer Regiment. At the end of his life he was paymaster of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion at Quebec City. He was involved in early, and at that stage abortive, attempts to raise a military unit similar to what presently took shape as the 2nd Glengarry Fencibles. In addition to town lots at Niagara and in present-day Toronto, he is reported (Johnson) to have received 5000 acres.
In his later years, he seems to have been in financial difficulties, and was in ill health, the result, it was thought, of his exertions during his military service of the Revolutionary War. He died at Quebec City. He was married to Helen Yates. (three children) Their son Alexander Macdonell was a major in the Glengarry militia at the time of the suppression of the 1837-1839 Rebellion.
Life by Allan J. MacDonald, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, V, 517-518 * Cruikshank (1925) (has fine photograph of Glengarry House ruins, other illustr.) * Scott, i * MDict 501 * Harkness: index * Dale 1-7 * Johnson: index * Armstrong 96 * McLean: index * Fryer & Smy, 54 * David G. Anderson, GHS Newsletter Oct. 1996, with reproduction of sketch of Glengarry House ruins by Stuart McCormick c. 1940 * Scot. “M” * Scott, U” * Chadwick * Macdonald & Macdonald * Major Alexander Macdonell: Cruikshank (1925) 56; Harkness 67 (two refs.); Boss 243